Welcome

This is the blog for Robert Vincent, Chief of Police for the Gulfport (Florida) Police Department. Please feel free to leave comments, but keep in mind that anything appearing on this page may be subject to retention and disclosure in accordance with Florida public records law.

Please keep your posts clean and respectful. Comments are subject to review, and I do not permit lewdness, obscenity, or personal attacks.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Following the police shooting of Michael Brown in Missourri,
media and public attention focused on conflicting witness statements about what
happened during that tragic encounter. The lack of clarity has spurred many to
press for an increase in the use of body-worn video cameras by police, and our
profession is responding quickly and appropriately.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police has
published a model policy while the Police Executive Research Forum produced an
analysis of the state of the technology. Both of these documents provide
guidance as law enforcement chief administrators face decisions on if and how
to deploy camera systems.

Here in Gulfport, we are ahead of the game, so to speak.
Police officers have been using body-worn cameras for about five years. I initiated
the program as a cheaper alternative to the expensive systems we had been
installing in patrol cars. The body cameras cost about one fifth of what the
in-car systems sell for. Primarily, they have been used by officers who are assigned
vehicles that do not have in-car camera systems. We also issue them to school
resource officers for the purpose of recording any physical interactions with
students. So far, we have had some pretty good results, and I am not aware of
any negative impacts on the officers or the people being recorded.

Our policy on the deployment and use of these camera systems
was last updated in 2013. To be prudent, I have decided to put it up for review
again, this time in consideration of the PERF and IACP publications, as well as
input from the community we serve. To the latter, I recently attended a retreat
with representatives from local law enforcement, the American Civil Liberties
Union, and the National Christian League of Councils. The purpose of the
meeting was to open an ongoing dialogue on how our communities might be best
served by police use of field-recording technology.

While I support the goal of this group, I think it is also
important to consider the input of the public we serve. To that end, I invite
any and all to contact me with your ideas on this subject. Currently some of
the most important decisions to make include the following:

Should we require all on duty officers to wear a
body camera, or should we continue leaving it an optional tool for them to use
at their own discretion?

Should we require officers with body cameras to
record all official conduct, some specific types of conduct, or should they
have discretion over what they record?

Should we require officers to inform people when
they are being recorded?

Each of these, of course, has pros and cons. A “record
everything” policy, for example, could be extremely burdensome in terms of the
workload associated with retrieving and storing the video. The storage costs
would also become very expensive very quickly. Also, I’d hate to ask officers
to focus on operating the camera when they’re dealing with potentially dangerous
situations. We also have to consider the impact that such a policy might have on
our ability to get confessions, or more importantly, victim statements. At this
point, we just don’t know how people will react if they know that everything
they say to a police officer will be recorded.

My plan is to have an updated policy in effect by the New
Year. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. chief@gulfportpolice.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

For almost fifteen years, the Gulfport Police Department has
maintained a policy forbidding officers from having exposed tattoos while in
uniform. Starting today, that policy will change.

Under the new rules, tattoos are not allowed on the hands,
neck or face, and any other exposed tattoos must be able to fit under a 3-inch
by 5-inch card. Of course, inappropriate or offensive tattoos will be
prohibited no matter where they are located or how small they are. Any questionable
material will be reviewed by a panel that will include at least one Gulfport
resident who is not a member of the police department.

Why the change? Why now? Quite simply, the community
standards are changing, and we have to keep up. Tattoos are much more common
than they were two decades ago, and their appearance in professional workplaces
has become routine. A Tampa Tribune
report published last year profiled tattoos among local law enforcement
agencies. The report made it clear that the Gulfport policy was just not the
norm for this time and location.

Gulfport officers with tattoos on forearms have been
concealing them for years with all manner of coverups, which actually look more
unprofessional than the tattoo. All the while, their colleagues working in neighboring
agencies are working the same job without the additional restrictions. That
sort of arrangement certainly does nothing to enhance morale.

We have also turned down plenty other otherwise-qualified
candidates simply because they couldn’t meet our tattoo standard. I’m talking
people with military experience and college education, turned away because of
the ink on their arm. The pool of applicants is already small enough; we don’t
need to help make it smaller.

As the personal appearance policy came up for routine
review, I decided to take another look at tattoos, and after a thorough staff
review, the new policy will go into effect this week. So, be on the lookout for
the new ink out there. My guess is that our diverse community known for its
live-and-let-live lifestyle will have no objections to the change. In fact, I’m
betting we get some compliments. After all, tattoos are art.

Friday, August 8, 2014

We have a neighbor here in Gulfport by the name of Al Santos
who volunteers his time to patrol the streets looking for anything suspicious. Al
rides a red scooter and wears an orange vest with the words “Citizen on Patrol”
printed front and back. He covers about 15 miles a day driving around town, and
his self-proclaimed mission is to “call police if I see anything worth
reporting.” Al introduced himself to me by way of an e-mail to let me know what
he was doing. My response: “thank you for your service!”

I have no objection to volunteer patrols, whether they be an
individual effort like Al’s, or something more organized like the Guardian
Angels organization. People have the right to move about on public property,
and I see no reason to oppose anyone who is trying to make the community safer.
In fact, I will even offer these folks information and support to help them provide the best service while keeping safe in the process. One common tip: you're not the police; do not intervene, report.

This being the case, many question why GPD doesn’t have its
own citizen patrol unit. With the recent resurgence of a crime watch program led
by longtime resident, Ernie Stone, many have noted the conspicuous detachment
of the Gulfport Police Department from programs of this nature. So, why don’t
we run the crime watch? Why don’t we organize volunteer patrols? Why don’t we
endorse or solicit such programs?

The answer is actually pretty simple. I believe our
commitment to these kinds of activities should be all or none. If we do not
have the resources to recruit, screen, train, equip, and supervise the people
involved in crime watch and citizen patrols, then we have no business trying to
run their programs. Even a little. The moment we affiliate ourselves with just a small portion of what these people do, the city could become completely
responsible for all of their actions. Unless and until we are prepared to accept that
responsibility, we cannot and should not get involved.

Absent the significant financial commitment required to properly run these programs, GPD will continue its
long-standing practice of providing information and support to the independent
volunteers like Al and Ernie while they exercise their right to do their own
thing.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

When you’re awakened in the middle of the night by helicopter
rotors and sirens accompanied by red & blue flashers and bright spotlights,
the logical assumption is that something is up.

Exactly what that is, however, can be just about anything. It
doesn’t always mean a murderer or rapist is on the loose.

Recently, Gulfport officers were asked to locate a man who
was wanted by the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office for several counts of dealing in
stolen property. When the officers found him, the suspect took off running, and
the law enforcement machine went to work.

Since we share communications with the sheriff’s office,
deputies were already monitoring the situation, and they responded immediately.
In this densely-populated county with over twenty law enforcement agencies
routinely working across jurisdictions, this is an everyday occurrence. Gulfport
and PCSO patrol units set up a perimeter, and sheriff’s investigators requested
air and K-9 support. For over an hour we searched; unfortunately, the suspect
was able to evade capture. For the moment. He was apprehended a few days later
under similar circumstances. A Gulfport officer spotted and recognized him, and
with assistance from another agency (St. Petersburg PD this time), the suspect
was apprehended by a K-9 while hiding under a house.

Is all this overkill for a thief? Is catching this kind of
crook worth the expense and public inconvenience of saturating a neighborhood
with a dozen or more officers and deputies, a couple of police dogs, and a
helicopter? Well, you be the judge.

Consider that this man was wanted for 28 counts of dealing
in stolen property. Each count is a second-degree felony punishable by up to
fifteen years in prison. Consider that theft of property is Gulfport’s number
one crime, has been for years, and is routinely among residents’ top complaints
to police.

Some may think that such efforts should be reserved for
violent offenders, but I’m the one who would be stuck explaining to the victims
of the thefts and burglaries that we didn’t catch the criminal because we just
didn’t try hard enough. That doesn’t sit well with me, but I don’t think
there is a perfect answer. I see this particular case as a job well done, and I
wouldn’t hesitate to put forth the same effort again. The best we can do is
keep the resources available and leave it to the best judgment of our trained
and experienced officers to make the right decisions on how and when to use
them.

In the meantime, we’ll do our best to let the public know if
there is ever a dangerous fugitive on the loose. We can send instant media
alerts to news outlets, post messages on our Facebook page, and we invite
residents to sign up for our new emergency alert system https://alertregistration.com/GulfPortFL/

Monday, May 5, 2014

We often get calls from people wanting to know about crime
in their neighborhood. This used to be a complicated question requiring our
analyst to run a database query given a particular set of parameters, such as
date range, geographic radius, crime type, etc. Even then, the results would be
limited to data from Gulfport, which isn’t very helpful if you live near the
border.

Well nowadays there is a much better way to get the
information you want. Pinellas County has developed a web-based application
that compiles crime information from most jurisdictions, including Gulfport and
St. Petersburg. It works like this: every day, the system scans our records
database and pulls information on dates, locations, and offense types. This
data is then automatically plotted on a map of the county.

Users can access the system and run their own queries at any
time. So if you want to know, for example, how many auto thefts there have been
within a mile of your house in the last 30 days, just make a couple of clicks,
and it will all be mapped for you.

This is extremely valuable information, but there are a
couple of important caveats. While the system retrieves data daily, it does not
update old records. So if an investigation has resulted in a change (a theft is
discovered to have been a civil matter, for example) you may not have the most
current or accurate classification. Additionally, it’s important to note that
not all agencies classify their reports the same way. Database difference may
make it appear as though one jurisdiction has lots of a particular offense
while another has none. To minimize this effect, I recommend filtering each
search to a limited number of offenses.

These hiccups aside, the crime viewer application is still
the easiest way to get the most thorough results about crime in your
neighborhood.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

In the next couple of weeks, the Florida Senate will consider a bill (SB296 and HB209) that, as passed by the House, will allow unlicensed individuals to carry firearms during evacuation orders declared by the governor, or during emergencies declared by local officials.

If you support this bill on principle, I can understand that, but let me illustrate some scenarios for you that may change your mind.

Say, for example, a hurricane is approaching the Alabama/Florida border. The governor declares an emergency, and an evacuation is ordered in Escambia County. In response, a resident packs up and evacuates to his family's home in Gulfport. The way this bill is written, that person would be allowed to carry a concealed firearm in Gulfport for the duration of the emergency in the panhandle. Meanwhile, those who live here and who have not been subject to evacuation, would not be allowed to carry a gun.

Interestingly, the law would not only apply to state emergencies declared by the governor. The House version would extend the same privilege to those complying with orders issued by local officials. So if the mayor of Key West declares an emergency due to civil unrest, we could have Key West evacuees here in Gulfport lawfully carrying concealed firearms.

I haven't even mentioned the scariest thing. What if the emergency is here? Imagine if we have a riot in Pinellas County and the sheriff declares an emergency. At that moment, everyone in the entire county, even those in the company of the rioters (felons, etc. excluded of course), would be allowed to carry a concealed gun. Wow.

There is a reason we issue permits to people before they can carry concealed firearms. We check backgrounds, get fingerprints and photos, and ensure the people understand the laws and demonstrate proficiency with their weapons. Eliminating these safeguards, particularly in times of civil unrest, is a dangerous way to go.

I support the right of the people to keep and bear arms, but I think the current laws are sufficient. As it stands now, everyone already has the right to transport guns in their cars or carry them on their own private property, for example.

At the very least, the Senate has to address some important issues before it agrees to pass this bill. We need to be clear on the time and geographic limits that apply to evacuations, and we need to exclude the provision that applies to riots and affrays. I encourage you to contact your senator (it's Jeff Brandes for Gulfport residents) and ask him or her to insist on reasonable changes to this bill before approving its passage as law.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Law enforcement officers are constantly faced with
temptations as well as the means to abuse their authority. That is an
unfortunate reality that is simply inherent in our line of work. To help prevent
misconduct, we go to great lengths on the front end to make sure we’re picking
the best people for the job. In 2013, the Gulfport Police Department processed
52 applications to fill just three police officer positions.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must be at least 21 years old and have completed
the state law enforcement certification process, which includes a 770-hour basic
recruit academy and passing a standardized test. In addition, applicants must
have completed at least 60 college credits or a three-year active duty military
enlistment. We only accept applications from individuals who meet these minimum
standards. From there, the process only gets tougher.

Physical Abilities Test

To make sure our new recruits are up to the physical demands
of the job, we run them through a timed test, which consists of a 440 yard run,
an obstacle course, and dragging a 150-pound dummy for 100 feet. Applicants who
cannot pass the PAT do not continue with the screening process.

Oral Board

Police work requires the ability to demonstrate exceptional
communication skills under high stress conditions. So we put our applicants to
the test. We assemble a group of three experienced, sworn supervisors who sit
as a panel to interview each applicant. They ask scenario-based questions and
evaluate applicants on their ability to present their answers effectively. The
oral board rating scores are then considered later in the process when
comparing multiple, qualified applicants.

Background Investigation

We ask each applicant to complete a ten-page personal history
questionnaire. This document covers residency, work history, undetected
criminal activity, drug use, military service, etc. We then verify everything in the document via
a lengthy investigation conducted by a sworn, experienced detective. The
investigation will include interviews with the applicant’s neighbors, review of
employment and military records, review of education records, database
inquiries to confirm residential and employment history, police record checks, and
a fingerprint criminal history check.

If a background investigation reveals no disqualifying
conduct, the next step is a polygraph test. The examiner will review all facets
of the applicant’s background in an effort to uncover anything that may have
been missed to this point. In addition, the examiner will note any
discrepancies which could indicate an effort to be misleading. Dishonesty is
always a disqualifier.

Chief’s Interview

Nobody wears a Gulfport police badge without meeting with me
first. I want the opportunity to ensure that each recruit understands our
policing philosophy and is somebody I want to represent me, personally. A list
of standardized questions is asked of each applicant in this interview. If they
do well, I’ll extend an offer of employment, conditional upon passing the next
two steps.

Psychological Evaluation

We employ the services of a clinical psychologist with over
fifteen years’ experience. The doctor uses a standardized assessment
instrument, and then he personally interviews each candidate. We receive a
detailed, confidential report, along with a rating indicating the candidate’s
psychological fitness for duty. If the rating is unacceptable, the job offer is
rescinded.

Medical Evaluation

This final step is completed by a physician experienced in
occupational health. The candidate is evaluated to ensure he or she has no
medical issues that would interfere with the ability to perform essential
functions of the job. A drug screen is included in this evaluation.

Field Training Program

If they get through all of the above steps, the candidate
gets to put on a badge and is now a Gulfport police officer. However, there is
still a long way to go. As a part of the one-year probationary period, new
recruits must complete a vigorous, 16-week, on-the-job training program. During
this time, an experienced officer observes and evaluates the recruit every
moment of every day. Those who perform well in this program will achieve their
goal of becoming “solo” officers, but close evaluation continues for another
eight months until the probation period ends and the new officer is no longer a
rookie.

As you can see, it takes a lot to become a police officer in
Gulfport, but we are proud of that fact. This is a lengthy and expensive
process, for sure, but I think the people of Gulfport deserve the best for
their money. I will continue to do my best to ensure they get it.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Several times a day our officers initiate traffic stops on motorists.
Most frequently, these encounters are in connection with minor traffic
violations, so it is understandable that motorists often think such stops are
routine for the officers. The fact is, however, that any traffic stop can be
hazardous-or even deadly- to an officer. Despite improvements in technology,
officers still have no way of knowing who is in the car they've just stopped. Often
times the person being pulled over for a simple traffic violation has committed
an offense the officer knows nothing about, or the person is wanted, has just
left the scene of a crime, or has something to hide from the police. The
officer approaching the car does not know the answers to any of these questions
until he or she can make inquiries.

A person being pulled over by the police should first understand
that the officer is participating in what he or she regards as potentially a
life-threatening action. In the annual listings of circumstances leading to the
death of on-duty police officers in this country, traffic stops are always in
the lead. We train officers to be especially careful and cautious during car
stops.

Motorists who have been stopped often comment on how the officer
appeared threatening to them. Officers approach slowly and deliberately and
look closely in the interior of the car, including the back seat. When someone
opens the glove box to retrieve a vehicle registration, the officer cranes his
neck to the point where he almost has his head inside the car window. To the
motorists, this may seem intrusive or disrespectful, but to the officer it is
paramount that he can see everyone’s hands and be alert to any threat.

All of these actions are intentional; officers train intensively to
do these things the same way, every single time, to approach a car cautiously
and deliberately, and to look for ‘furtive movement’ by the vehicle occupants.
The driver could be trying to hide something under the front seat (beer?,
drugs?, gun?). Observing the passenger compartment and carefully watching the
removal of something from the glove box or console is done for the purpose of
personal safety and for detecting the presence of possible contraband.

So what does the honest citizen do to minimize the officer's
concerns? First, please try to understand why the officer is taking these
precautions. There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. Officers are taught
that any traffic stop could very well be the last traffic stop. When you sense this caution or tension in the
officer, please understand that he or she does not usually know who or what to
expect. Once the officer learns your identity, confirms the vehicle
registration, and sees no evidence of criminal behavior on your part, you will
probably see the officer noticeably relax his or her approach.

You should also avoid getting out of the car immediately after being
stopped and approaching the officer while he or she is still in the vehicle.
Officers are cautioned about being ‘trapped’ in their own vehicle. This
behavior also raises suspicion in the officer's mind that there is something,
or somebody, in the car that the you don’t want the officer to see. Remain in
the car and let the officer approach you; keep your hands plainly visible; and
avoid those ‘furtive movements.’

When a police officer makes initial contact, permit him or her to
speak and act first. The officer will ask for your driver's license,
registration, and proof of insurance. These are lawful requirements of you, but
more importantly, it helps the officer determine that you are not a car thief
and you are not driving with a suspended license.

Once these essential preliminaries are taken care of, it is
appropriate for you and the officer to discuss why you were stopped. It may be
a traffic violation or it may be that your car matches the description of one
the police are looking for regarding an incident that has occurred. If this is
the case, please understand that we are often dealing with only partial
descriptions, that those who commit crimes do switch tags on cars, and criminals
actually lie to police officers.

The suspected traffic violator will sometimes disagree with the
officer's observation. Police officers are similar to baseball umpires in that
they will listen to the other side of a dispute. Convincing arguments are
usually characterized by facts and logic, not emotion, threat, or volume. In fact,
threats and aggressive emotions can present a host of other issues that must be
addressed.

Traffic citations are not pronouncements of guilt. Police officers,
being human, make errors and so do citizens. Courts of law have been created to
impartially hear complaints of disputed tickets, that court is the proper place
to argue your case, not the scene of the incident. Police officers readily
accept the fact that their judgments are subject to question and review by
competent authority. However, when they are on the side of the road, their
first focus will always be for officer safety.

Thank you for helping us do our job. If you ever feel you have been
the subject of unlawful profiling or harassment, please contact any police
supervisor to register a complaint.

Essentially, my position is that I am professionally opposed to the operation of golf
carts on municipal roadways for the following reasons:

The
closing speed between golf carts and other traffic will be too fast. The 85th
percentile speed on many of our roads is approximately 30 mph, with many
vehicles travelling near 35 mph. The maximum speed for a golf cart is 20 mph,
with many only capable of reaching 15 mph. That leaves a potential closing
speed of at least 10 mph and as much as 20 mph.

Golf
carts do not have safety features equivalent to those in motor vehicles. With
an open body, studies from the US Consumer Products Safety Commission,
University of Alabama, and others have shown an increased risk of passenger
ejection. The vehicles typically do not offer shoulder restraints, and unless
required by local ordinance, hip restraints are not even standard. There are
also no head restraints to protect against whiplash, nor are there airbags as
on most cars today.

Slow
moving carts create a condition more dangerous than bicycles or scooters
because they occupy more of the travel lane. A motor vehicle operator can take
an evasive maneuver to pass a bicycle or scooter even with the presence of
oncoming traffic. This is not possible upon approaching a golf cart. The only
option would be braking, and if there is insufficient stopping distance, a
collision will occur.

We
do not possess the qualification to declare any of our roadways safe for the
operation of golf carts. By doing so, we accept a responsibility and risk
previously relegated to the state. This significant risk to all of our citizens
is not outweighed by the minor benefit to a few of our citizens who are simply
seeking a way to avoid the cost and inconvenience of the current state
registration process for low speed vehicles.